


Surprise

by highflyer101



Category: Mercy Street (TV)
Genre: F/M, Gambling, Poker
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-15
Updated: 2016-02-15
Packaged: 2018-05-20 15:57:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,276
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6015249
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/highflyer101/pseuds/highflyer101
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He couldn't be sure how long they'd been playing by the time Mary walked past. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her stop short and examine the scene before her. He could practically hear the cogs turning in her head - she certainly was not the type to condone gambling, especially when it took a doctor away from his post, yet she was probably hesitant to ruin the rapport they'd built with each other.</p><p>"Miss Phinney, if you've come to scold me, you may as well do it," he called after a few moments of watching her agonize over what to do. "But I assure you, I have not heard any patients screaming out in need, or I would not be here." August (and Ephraim, too, but he was much more subtle) leaned over curiously to see the intruder, looking a bit put out at the idea of ending the game.<br/>* * * * * *<br/>For a prompt from treasureplanetsheep.tumblr.com: Dr. Foster somehow ropes Mary into playing cards (poker, euchre, some other ol'-timey card game) during some downtime.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Surprise

**Author's Note:**

> Confession: I have no idea how to play poker, but I really hope this is okay anyway.

There was precious little entertainment to be had in Mansion House, a fact Jed had long ago accepted and even appreciated. At first, the somber atmosphere and all-around lack of activities allowed him to focus on his work, which was, after all, paramount. Of course, this rule didn't seem to apply to the others; one look at a fool like Doctor Hale proved that a serious atmosphere did not necessarily guarantee good work. And, he had to admit, it certainly didn't keep the patients happy. Soldiers grew restless quickly, and he sometimes wondered if the more violent patients didn't just need a more productive diversion.

As such, he was almost pleasantly surprised when a couple of particularly young soldiers beckoned him to the one corner of the ward furnished with tables, and presented him with a deck of cards.

 "You know poker, Doc?" one asked, hazel eyes dancing under a head of curly chestnut hair, looking significantly more cheerful than the typical wounded soldier. Jed vaguely remembered him being called August, although he couldn't be sure, seeing as Hale had claimed him early on in his stay. Beside him sat a rather more sullen man, Ephraim, with a mane of curly black hair that clearly needed to be trimmed. Jed supposed he was still too wary of blades to let anyone near enough to cut it, not an uncommon phenomenon lately.

 "Much to my wife's displeasure, yes," he answered after a moment's hesitation. August gave an over-the-top roar of laughter, causing Ephraim to jump uncomfortably in his seat. _Definitely soldier's heart,_ Jed noted mentally. _Perhaps not too severe, though._

 "Play a hand, then?" August offered. Before even receiving an answer, he whipped cards around, dealing five cards to each man. It was probably ill-advised, and doubtlessly some soldier in need would interrupt the game, but Jed found himself taking a place at the table nevertheless. No one at the table was exactly rolling in money, so they stuck to using chips that August had brought along from the field. Ephraim played the best out of them all, but Jed was impressed with his own performance, given the lack of practice he'd had lately. In any event, the game went quickly, as poker usually did.

That said, he couldn't be sure how long they'd been playing by the time Mary walked past. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her stop short and examine the scene before her. He could practically hear the cogs turning in her head - she certainly was not the type to condone gambling, especially when it took a doctor away from his post, yet she was probably hesitant to ruin the rapport they'd built with each other.

 "Miss Phinney, if you've come to scold me, you may as well do it," he called after a few moments of watching her agonize over what to do. "But I assure you, I have not heard any patients screaming out in need, or I would not be here." August (and Ephraim, too, but he was much more subtle) leaned over curiously to see the intruder, looking a bit put out at the idea of ending the game.

 Mary started, flushing a little. "On the contrary, Doctor, I hadn't considered it," she lied coolly, smoothing her apron. "Hello August, Ephraim," she added, switching gears.

 "'Afternoon, Nurse Mary," August grinned. "You want in?"

 "Oh, I really shouldn't," she began, but Jed was intrigued by the idea. Mary, who turned up her nose at anything that could possibly be deemed immoral, taking time off her work to gamble? That would be a sight.

"Oh, come, duchess," he prodded. "Surely Nurse Hastings can control the masses for a while."

 "You're a duchess?" Ephraim repeated, slightly awestruck. Mary's lips twitched downwards.

 "Baroness," she corrected, shooting a rather weak glare at Jed. "And I'm not, really: my late husband was a baron." Then, in the surprise of the century (and that was including the outbreak of a civil war), she walked over and took a seat. "I suppose it couldn't hurt," she added. "Deal me in."

Obediently, August passed out the cards for the next round, giving Jed time to study Mary's expression. Her lips puckered and there was a tiny crease between her eyes (she probably hadn't played poker before, at least not properly), yet the set of shoulders indicated she wasn't about to quit. All in all, she looked as she had the day she arrived at Mansion House: confused, but determined. It was a look she wore exceedingly well, though Jed was loathe to admit it, and he was not surprised to notice that the two young soldiers were also watching her curiously.

"Are you familiar with the rules of poker?" he asked teasingly. She bristled.

"I daresay I'll catch on."

Despite her confidence, August took the time to outline the game for her, moving even more slowly than necessary. Jed could tell that his officiousness irritated her ego, but she remained civil, as usual. When the time came, she put forward the agreed upon number of chips and picked up her cards, analyzing them closely. As Jed might have predicted, she played methodically, sticking pretty much exactly to the rules. Each movement was precise and calculated; she took care to follow protocol to the best of her ability. He had to admit, her performance was impressive for a first-time player, as was her tenacity: she lost far more than she won, but continued to try, eager to prove a point.

Perhaps more intriguing than her aptitude for poker was her interactions with August and Ephraim. Like most young soldiers, starved for a woman's company, August flirted fairly shamelessly as they played, but he also seemed somewhat awed by her, as did his friend. Each of them fidgeted nervously every time she upped the ante, and sometimes stopped in the middle of a sentence, as if they were too embarrassed to speak so freely in front of a lady. Although he was sure she disliked being treated differently due to her gender, she smiled encouragingly, even indulgently, at them as they won each round, just as she did when tending to a patient at his bedside. Her composure was quite admirable, and it was no wonder that the boys (whose claimed to be 18, but seemed closer to 16) liked her so much.

"Surprised, Doctor Foster?" she taunted proudly at her first win. He shrugged good-naturedly.

"I've heard it said that if one gives a monkey a pen, it will eventually write the Bible," he sniped somewhat affectionately. She raised her eyebrows at his sass, clearly ready to respond, when -

"Nurse Phinney," came a squawk from behind them. There stood Anne Hastings, half righteously enraged and half thrilled at finding her superior in such a compromising position. "I cannot imagine what you think you are doing!" It was small enough that August and Ephraim did not notice, but Jed saw Mary roll her eyes back before responding, making him laugh a little despite himself.

"You needn't worry, Nurse Hastings," she replied, rising from her chair. "I have hardly left my post for long - only to check on Private Harper and Private Jacobs' progress. And I am sure you had things well under control, didn't you?" she added pointedly. Nurse Hastings pouted, turning an alarming shade of red.

"This would never have been accepted in the Crimea," she sputtered.

"How fortunate that this is not the Crimea, then," Mary snapped uncharacteristically acerbically before walking away. Both August and Ephraim chuckled under their breaths, and Jed could not help but do the same. She was certainly full of surprises.

**Author's Note:**

> As always, comments please!!
> 
> PS I am 100% sure that the expression about a monkey writing out the Bible didn't exist in the 1860s, but a girl can dream.


End file.
